sorrow and remorse
by ola
Summary: legolas leaves mirkwod, against his father's recommendation, right into enemy territory. something happens that he has not anticipated and he feels guilt and remorse. short and angsty. please read and review.


~ Sorrow and remorse ~

by Ola

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A/N~ this is a little story that I thought of while laying on a tree J it's rather short and somewhat plot-less but worthwhile to read. No romance. Please review to tell me what you think. Oh, and if you have any ideas as to how I could finish this fic, please let me know. (because for now, I'm out of them, and this story will stay like this until my mind decides to function properly again.) but it could stand like this, with the present ending. Ok, I'm done rambling now. Enjoy J

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            _Mmm, what a wonderful day! I thought, as I lay on the tree's wide branch. The bark was smooth and warm, swaying gently in wisps of wind. The sun was warm on my cheeks, and the day promised to be hot. But the morning was blissfully cool and I closed my eyes, reposing my head on my hands, while letting my legs hang on either side of the branch. My sister had often said that I must have been a jaguar in my previous life, climbing into trees and daydreaming all day. I didn't exactly believe in reincarnation, but it was a great way to start a conversation, or to ponder on the meaning of life and human's destiny. And what if it was true? _

            Carried on the fickle wind, I heard very faint noises, as if metal striking metal. As the wind turned, they disappeared into the trees, as if a figment of my imagination. A moment later, I heard them again. I turned my face toward the source of noise, wondering what it could be. There, among the trees, there was a sort of silvery sparkle, as if bright sunlight reflecting from water or rain drops. Except that it hadn't rained for the past two weeks and there was no river, lake, or pond in a two mile radius of this place. And I knew that for a fact, since I have lived here all my life and explored every meter of this forest.

            That sparkle looked somewhat like spider webs floating freely in the air. I sat up, intrigued by this strange phenomenon of nature. 'As curious as a cat,' eh? Well, maybe there is something in all that reincarnation stuff. But I've never seen such weird silvery webs, and I liked those little critters. So I jumped down to the grassy ground and slowly made my way to the 'thing.' Except that as soon as I was a few feet away from it, it seemed to disappear. An illusion of light? But the whole area was shady! For a short while, as the breeze turned, that sound echoed through the grove again. Where _was it coming from anyway? It sounded like a forge, but way out here? In the middle of nowhere? I had to find what it was, or I wouldn't live it down. The noise had stopped again, but I went in the direction I had last heard it coming from. About ten minutes later, I was wondering if I should turn back and quit this nonsense. I was no detective or lunatic running around after half-heard noises. But what if it was just around the bend, or the next? I had all day for myself, and no where to hurry to. So I kept on walking, forgetting time and simply enjoying the scenery._

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            I heard it whistle, but I didn't see it. I didn't see it until I was thrown against a tree trunk and pain exploded in my arm. There it was, surrounded by a bright red stain, the gray-green feathers and part of the smooth brown shaft sticking out of my arm, while the arrow head pined me to the tree. I felt my knees start to give way and I panicked, imagining the arrow ripping apart the flesh of my arm as my unconscious body sagged to the ground. I locked my knees and momentarily stopped my descent, as sweat trickled into my eyes and I trembled with shock.

            At first, I thought I was becoming crazy with loss of blood, as a piece of the forest separated itself from the rest. And then I saw his eyes. His big, green eyes, wide with…shock? Surprise? I couldn't tell. Nor could I have been able to tell what he wore, or what he was doing. All I noticed were his eyes. Time seemed to stop and even the pain went away for a while. I knew it was him. It was his arrow. I could feel it. Somehow, however, I didn't feel any animosity toward him. I didn't really feel anything. Strange, no? But my body did feel, still aware of its situation, and it warned me, in no uncertain terms to hurry up, by sending an agonizing wave of pain down the wounded limb. With considerable effort, I tore my gaze from his, and slowly took hold of the arrow shaft with my good hand. I tried to pull it out slowly, as tears of pain streamed down my face, but the projectile wouldn't budge. I knew I had to deliver my entrapped arm, although I could barely think of how much it would probably hurt. With gritted teeth, to the point where they would shatter, I wiggled the arrow a few times, as black spots blurred the edge of my sight. Finally, with one last yank, I pulled it out, hearing a feeble moan. Mine? I didn't know. I didn't care. I was free; free to slide into the merciful embrace of darkness, void of feeling, pain and emotion. I left this world of reason before I even felt the ground, my last memory being two deep, green pools of light.

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            _What an idiot! How stupid can I get? Oh, but no! I knew better! Damn those stupid orcs! Damn my father for telling me not to leave Mirkwood, damn myself for not listening!! But no, the princely ass hole had__ to be too proud and too confident, and he just had__ to go on a little journey, right in the middle of war, and walk straight into enemy territory!!! Legolas yelled at himself as he quickly swang his sword again, cutting off an orc's head, and not even seeing it roll away. He had long ago abandoned his bow. It was of no use in such close quarters, although he had taken quit a number of the monsters out with it when he had first seen them rushing at him. But now, that seemed like an age ago, and elf or no elf, Legolas was getting tired.__ What the hell?! He stopped his angry tirade, as two more orcs stepped out from the trees, replacing the ones he had just killed. __They keep coming at me in twos or threes. What are they doing? Playing with me? Trying to tire me out and take me alive? He shuddered visibly, thus almost getting his sword arm chopped off, which only an instinctive jump to the left prevented. __There's no way I'm getting out of this alive. His breath was labored, and he knew that his reflex was considerably lengthened. Now he only wondered how long it would take. He prayed that they would finish him off quickly. He had heard enough stories to make his stomach heave. But he wouldn't quit until the lost dredge of his energy was spent. It was his ego that got him here in the first place, so maybe it would get him out of it again. He hadn't realized that his mind had wondered off again until he felt a sting on his leg. __Shit!  He clumsily parried another attack, running the orc through. As the monster's dying gurgle ceased, Legolas was met with silence. He couldn't believe it. Was it over? Or was he dead? He hadn't felt the killing blow, but that didn't mean anything. He strained his ears, trying to catch the softest of sounds. A footfall, a cracking leaf…anything that would give away his enemy's position. Except that there was no more enemy. He slowly retrieved his bow, and notched an arrow, slowly leaving the clearing, now full of dead orcs. Although he was exhausted, it wouldn't be wise to stay here, even for a few more minutes. _

            It wasn't until a few minutes later that he heard it. An imperceptible ruffling of the undergrowth. The elf whirled around and let fly, hearing the dull _thump of the arrow hitting a tree. And then he saw her, and for the first time in his life he thanked the gods for his poor aim, brought by the recent fight. The strike that was meant to kill had embedded itself into her arm. He stopped dead in his tracks, as the full realization of what he had done hit him.__ I almost killed an innocent human girl. I almost…damn it! Elves were protectors of life and light, and he almost took that life away. He couldn't breathe or think. He didn't know what to do, as he watched the blood drain from the girl's face. She didn't seem to realize that he was there until he moved, and then, he was caught in her eyes. Blue as a winter sky, and full of pain and confusion. But no hate, no accusation. Finally, she broke off her gaze and yanked the arrow out. He could see the sheen of sweat glistening on her pale forehead, and the tremors of pain that shook her entire body. A new rivulet of crimson colored her arm and she fainted, the arrow still lodged in her flesh. Legolas finally shook himself and caught the girls before she hit the ground. He couldn't stop berating himself, and wishing to undo the past. What if the orcs had wounded him so he couldn't use a bow? What if they had killed him? What if he hadn't left Mirkwood at all? Would she have been safe then...? But what if the orcs meant for __him had taken her...?_

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A/N~ please review, nice people! J

Ola


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